Refrigerant recovery units or carts are used in connection with the service and maintenance of refrigeration systems, such as a vehicle's air conditioning system. The refrigerant recovery unit connects to the air conditioning system of the vehicle to recover refrigerant out of the system, separate out oil and contaminants from the refrigerant in order to recycle the refrigerant, and recharge the system with additional refrigerant. These operations are generally known as “servicing” the refrigeration system.
During servicing, flow paths for refrigerant may be opened and closed to accomplish the various operations. In some refrigerant recovery units, electronically controlled valves called, “solenoids” may be utilized to control the flow of refrigerant through the flow paths. Unfortunately, many solenoids generally have insufficient closing force to completely stop the flow of refrigerant in some instances.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a device and method capable of overcoming the disadvantages described herein at least to some extent.